Ghostly Companion
by yorushihe
Summary: Sam 'dies' and goes through the void… when he comes back, he brings an extra passenger with him. Now he's got to deal with giant robots, parents, a girlfriend, ptsd and a voice in his head insistent on babying him, as if his mom was not enough… oh, and maybe magic. Gen!fic. Canon pairings.


fEhe.. I'm now officially Undertale trash?  
Sum: Sam 'dies' and goes through the void… when he comes back, he brings an extra passenger with him. Now he's got to deal with giant robots, parents, a girlfriend, ptsd and a voice in his head insistent on babying him, as if his mom was not enough… oh, and maybe magic.  
Warnings: mentions of character death, Dad!Gaster, monsters and mechs, angst, SamMikaela, my opinions on the color of the bots' souls, souls, magic, ptsd, panic attacks, fluff, Gaster & Sam fluff, platonic relationships and horrible puns? Does this deserve a warning? Not heavily described vomit, allspark & Gaster shenanigans.

 **Ghostly Companion  
PART 01**

"Hey Bee... I think I'm going mad" Perhaps was not the best way to open a conversation with his guardian, but Sam was honestly beyond caring at that point.

Because as he stared at the idle yellow car sitting innocently in the school's parking lot, Sam had the impression of a large, overly sparky cartoonish heart sunk in his guardian's hood – the overall color was a dark orange-yellow at its core very similar to the bot's finish, but dotted with muted grays and a sore red splatter at the top of the right 'lobe'. His brain apparently decided to drive him further insane by interpreting what he was seeing.

 **You are not going "mad".**

 _Shut up!_

An Orange-yellow soul, bravery and justice, courageous and bright with an acquired Determination splat that seemed out of place, it was uncertain if the new trait would blossom or if it would fade. The gray meant great traumas and recovering areas, with time they will heal without any external help as long as the gray doesn't expand for more than a third of the soul's traits. Not only that, there was this lingering impression of Bee's… status, like a role-playing game console had suddenly sprung in his mind's eyes.

* Bumblebee – Dedicated but Stubborn Autobot Warrior – ATK 1 (512) DEF 1 (495) BASE LV 512 HP 999 EXP 154896 * This being is meant for greater things but is currently stuck babysitting you, it helps a little that he actually thinks of you as a friend.

As soon as he registered Bee's LV and EXP, all the contents of his stomach met the pavement, and he had the warm and kind touch of his girlfriend around him to comfort Sam upon this moment of – _**WRONG WRONG WRONG!**_

…

It started that morning.

Sam woke up a little dazed, though it was usual once or twice a week after having held the Allspark in his hands, his simple human brain could not cope with the magnitude of power the cube contained and so it suffered what Hatchet dubbed 'harmless aftershocks'. They'd fade eventually along with his trauma, he hoped.

Then he thought back to his dreams as he followed his mom's voice downstairs.

Weird ghostly hands waiving in and out of focus with a hole in their palms, melting tendrils of darkness that reached out to a brilliant lime green cartoonish heart. He had a sense of _urgency_ and _fear_ and something that whispered in his ear forbidden secrets and knowledge beyond comprehension. He noticed that the lime green heart also sparked something akin to electricity but it scarcely happened in the spam of Sam's observations, only twice had energy arced and cackled around the little heart and that brought him a weird sense of relief and dread.

" **Please… help me"** The darkness pulsed, making Sam wonder for a moment what kind of Freudian conspiracy his analyst would cook up if he ever brought this up. The dream played out, memory of it fresh in his mind for some reason.

"What the hell? Wha-who are you?!" The little heart pulsed once, shivering between the original lime green and an eye catching orange for a brief, if lasting second.

" **I… am Gaster… I can see… you… you have touched… the void and… it has clung to… you"** The ghostly hands spammed into motion, some mirroring symbols and other faces, while the rest pointed up, down, left or right – he could understand in some basic level that this is how the creature in the darkness communicated, and yet did not know _how_ he could possibly know. **"Dark… Darker… yet Darker… you know what… I am talking about… don't you?"**

The brief and all-encompassing darkness as the Allspark and Megatron's Spark met has felt suffocating, he felt as if he died there for a moment… no light, no sound, nothing just endless darkness… and then there was light again, like a deep breath after a long time without breathing… though he couldn't shake the instinctual feeling that something has followed him out of that hole.

" **I have… had an unhealthy… obsession with the… void in the past"** The hands continued their motion, ignoring the little heart that continued undecided just which color it wanted to be. **"I have… damned myself for… the sake of my… curiosity… and thought I would… spend eternity… in between… existence… scattered and lost… to all who'd… remember me…"**

"A-are you one of them? Um… cybertronian?" Because he couldn't assume his mind would conjure an Autobot in the midst of dreary darkness, and outright accusing the pleading entity of being well, the enemy might alienate them…

" **No… I am a… Monster"** There was a flash of curiosity that felt scientific and determined, along with a deep rooted uncertainty that surrounded the fact that Sam was _human_ … as if they were _afraid_ of Sam, not the other way around. **"You… are a good… human… help me out… of the void… please"**

Suddenly, something clicked in Sam's mind. "It was you, wasn't it? You hitched a ride from wherever you were and now you're here, talking to me… how to I know that you won't hurt me? How can I trust you?" This could easily be a trap, and the… monster? Seemingly understood his mistrust with a long well of perseverance in the face of a hurdle…

" **I did… send a part of… myself within your… soul when it passed… the void… for that I… apologize yet… cannot be sorry for…I mean you no… harm only a…way out and…a place in your… soul so I can…recuperate"**

The little heart settled on that lime green color again, and this time didn't shy away when the dark fog descended on it. There was a pulling sensation, as if something was yanking his chest cavity open – it didn't hurt in a physical way, but felt unpleasant all the same. The consequences of his unspoken cooperation was soon seen as an equally small dark purple heart started to form out of the darkness as if drawn out piece by piece by the green one.

The pieces coalesced, but didn't join entirely, forming a cracked and skewed little heart before turning upside-down and losing all color **–** cracks still present, the now pearlescent cracked piece moved until it overlapped the green one – both could still be seen in a mind boggling way, as if both existed in the same plane at the same time but taken individually.

A sense of _peace_ and _contentment_ hazed his mind as the darkness receded, leaving just a blank space filled with hovering hearts. **Souls**. A voice in the back of his head whispered…

* Sam – The Savior of an Alien Race – ATK 0 (1) DEF 0 (12) BASE LV 101 EXP 12058 WEAPON: Pillow ARMOR: Pajama pants

Knowledge started to stream through his thoughts, things he never seen before or could have known – they were coming from this other **Soul** currently beating alongside his own – **Wingding Aster** – or **W.D. Gaster** – or just **Gaster** – he? She? They? They have been a scientist once upon a time, with time and space swirling like miniature big bangs around their fingertips… The last remaining power of the allspark in Sam rejoiced, finally its knowledge would be put to good use-

Then he woke up.

…

A shiver went down his spice when his brain finally registered it was _awake_. There was this muted sense of _joy_ that was hard to explain at the simple fact that light was streaming through the windows and he could hear his dad's garden wind chimes twinkling annoyingly.

"That was one heck of a strange dream" The teenager muttered to himself, rolling off the bed and automatically peeking out the slightly parted windows. Bee was resting in his place. Content with this quick reassurance that his guardian had his back, Sam fumbled into clean clothes as he heard his mom calling from the kitchen.

The sense of utter _joy_ followed him around through the dullness of morning routine.

The contrast between color and light, the sound of the house's electronics and the hum of technology, even the cars rolling down the suburban street – Sam was finding this newfound appreciation for everyday things, and perhaps for the first time since almost being obliterated from existence by a high powered cube and Megatron' spark Sam was just glad he was _alive._

Things were put into perspective. They hurt just a little less, but maybe his analyst would finally lay off those PTSD talks.

"Breakfast is ready!" Jude was grinning happily at him when he met her halfway into the hall. Her smile sent pleasant notes of _mothers love_ down his spine. How does that work? "How is my little man this morning?" She cooed, whirlwind of motion as she seated him and pushed a plate of eggs and bacon his way. "Sorry I can't accompany you, sweetheart, but mom has an important business meeting today"

Sam blinked sleepily at his mom, the world tilting on its axis and shadows expanding around the edges of his vision – then everything came into focus again, and Sam could see, pulsing happily in his mom's chest a light pink Soul.

Perseverance and Determination rolled into one in complete harmony, his mom has a good soul, light and bright, meaning there was more love, compassion and hope than vices. It didn't look perfect, there were a few hairlines cracks and darker spots discoloring the upper right side and saturation could be better but overall a good soul.

* Judy – Determined and Passionate Mom – ATK 0 (5) DEF 0 (25) BASE LV 1 HP 55 EXP 2 * This is your mom, she loves you but trusts you as much as she trusts a teenage boy.

A deeper look revealed that Sam's mom's purse had an ATK value of 5 for the objectively aggressive brown leather and that the sturdy businesswoman jacket offered astounding 25 of DEF… And then he registered the EXP and LV…

1 LV. A base value that all sentient life should strive to keep _because higher than that means you have taken enough lives to…_ well, the hint of anger at the 2 EXP his mom had was pushed down, but since Sam's brain to mouth filter was as bad as his dad's, he had to ask her. "Mom, mom, who did you kill?!"

Judy looked as startled as one would imagine his parents would be if confronted by these type of questions. Poker face in place, his mom was finishing checking on her briefcase and purse before setting out, Sam was stalling her and she seemed in a hurry.

"What? Sam! What are you talking about?" His mom did turn around to face him, hoisting her purse higher on a shoulder and grabbing for her car keys.

Sam winced. **You have to explain things better**. A stream of symbols and shapes flooded his thoughts, strangely, he could make sense of them and they spelled a sentence… Yep, officially going crazy – now to convince his mom of the contrary… "Look, if we were RPG characters-"

Judy had other plans and interrupted Sam, an impish smirk on her lips as she thought she understood where Sam was getting at. "Sweetheart, with how well manicured our garden is…"

"Mom!" Her smile faltered. As spazz and random as her son was, when he looked that desperate she had a hard time not paying attention… So Judy turned fully and rested a hand on her hips, regarding Sam with a seriousness that caught him off guard "I'm serious! I- I won't Judge you, but I have to know ok?" Sam tried again "You have experie- I mean, **execution points** mom, that's bad"

 **Very, very bad.**

 _Shut up!_

"My, Sam… is it that serious? Like, double digits foot tall serious?" His mom's face turned understandably apprehensive.

"N-no…" So Sam tried to explain the best he could… in the end, his mom sighed softly. "Just answer this… have you ever, um, _executed_ some…thing?"

"I guess I do 'execute' an awful lot of bugs during summer… and there was that rat rummaging through our garbage a couple of months ago, does that count?" She still answered, raising her fingers to quote his weird word choice. Sam could careless though, a sense of relief echoing inside him as if it was felt in double.

 **Thank the stars.** _Thank Jesus_.

* Judy – Determined and Passionate Mom – ATK 0 (5) DEF 0 (25) BASE LV 1 HP 55 EXP 2 * This is your mom, she is worried about your mental health and is considering skipping work to drag you to a therapist. She's never murdered another sentient being in cold blood.

If Sam could be LV 101 and have unholy amounts of EXP for kind of offing Megatron – his huge MVP EXP bonus shooting him, an innocent teenage boy to whoopings 100's LV - and still remain innocent, why can't his mom with her measly 2 EXP? He's being hypocritical right now, time to stop… though he wondered how this whole LV thing worked… **Depends on Aim to Kill and Desire to Fight –** _Wait, ATK and DEF? Are you kidding?! –_ **You gain LV by killing, the more you gain the more you lose yourself until life loses its meaning, it seems you may be an exception…It might also be because of me, or the cube's semi sentience, or the Void… we might not know until it is pertinent… but the higher LV means a higher threshold for ATK and DEF, means the being possesses a higher quantifier, thus** _ **will**_ **to cause harm to others and feel no guilt.**

The foreign knowledge seemed to pour in his brain, following after an alien train of thought that _did not_ belong to him. It felt as if his current thoughts were originating from two different sources, one he recognized as his own psych and the other strange one. Older and wiser.

 _I'm not like that! Why do I have a voice in my head?_

 **We will see how much of an exception you are, Sam.** The humor was there, along with a strong and resolute _Faith_ in his morals that staggered Sam for a moment or two.

"M-mom, aren't you kind of late?" Sam pointed out, hoping she'd get distracted and leave without questioning his sanity too much. Gaster's apparent ability to read souls would be difficult to handle, though Sam's understanding of this _magic_ – magic is real! – was growing. It worked like an RPG, and his gamer self is ecstatic.

"What about you sweetheart? I can't leave you if you're having a break down – should I call your dad? Dr. Fledgings? Your new girlfriend? ... Your car?" And in what world would his car count as an emergency contact… but Sam shook his head, looking wide eyed.

"No no, no need… you know how us teenage boys are, obsessing with the strangest things, haha – I might have gotten into this new game and its awesome- " His laugh sounded hollow and fake, so Sam excused his mom's suspicious leer as he started to babble as he wont to do when nervous, so he stopped talking and allowed his face to soften, to show just a little bit of his own vulnerability so his mom would cave. "Seriously mom, I'm sorry for jumping you like that, I'm gonna be fine, Bee's just outside and I gotta go to class"

"Eat first… growing boys need to eat!" She caved.

She still fussed a little more, but ultimately was _very_ late for her meeting and Sam was glad he escaped her crutches and more hours with his Therapist.

…

Sam can't see Bumblebee… not in the way he could easily see his mom.

 **His Soul is strange… I can't seem to 'check' upon it the usual way.**

 _Do I really have a voice in my head?_

And just as he was getting comfortable in Bee's warm upholstery, Sam's eyes almost rolled to the back of his head as a sharp pain laced through his brain – he wouldn't been surprised if he found gray matter dripping down his nose – but at the same time, he had the faint feeling that something _was_ happening, beyond his control and totally on the strange purple heart now hitching a ride with his- _Wait, that's a thing now?_

 **A moment… it seems I wasn't the only one clinging to you when you passed through the void, we are indeed communicating.**

 _Gaster…? Is this a thing now? Am I really going crazy?_

 **I do believe you are the one conversing with a voice in your head.**

Joking aside, he had to remember that the _dream was kind of real?_ And now he had a Void monster's consciousness and soul hitching a ride in him.

 _That's way creepier sounding than it has a right to be…_

 **Agreed…** Amusement bubbled from both souls. **It wasn't a dream, now hush, please.**

 _I can't shut up my brain!_

"Sam, Sam, are you alright?" Bee's comforting rumble came from the radio, and Sam was glad that his partner's voice has been fixed – trying to make sense of those gnarled snippets of radio stations and music was kind of hard for someone with his attention spam- Wait… the derision wasn't all his! _Gaster!_ But his hopefully temporary tenant gave no answer – and was he really reaching out to a voice in his head?

"I'm totally fine Bee, just thinking… a lot has happened, you know?" Sam waved Bee's concerns off "Are we picking up Mikaela?" His voice dripped hopefulness, distracting Bee enough that his guardian let out a tiny, teasing giggle before taking the exit that would drive them all the way to Mikaela's place. She's been strangely shy about it, but Sam made sure to reassure her – it wasn't her fault her dad was in jail and she had to work the autoshop alone… Now with government and alien help, Mikaela was doing better both financially and emotionally though she's trying to hide behind a tough façade.

"I figured" Bee sassed, stopping in front of Sam's girlfriend's house and being treated to the sight of her standing in front of it, shapely legs going on for miles and the gorgeous face lighting up when she noticed the yellow Camaro approaching. "Sam, if you want to talk, I'm here" the sentient car added lowly, just as Sam was reaching out to exit and greet his girl properly.

"Y-yeah, I know, we're partners right?" The caring in his voice masked the uncertainty. During his lowest points the week before, he'd been blaming Bumblebee for everything bad that has happened… but just like he told Mikaela once, he'd have regretted the _what if_ for the rest of his life if he didn't get in the car.

"Right!" Bee agreed quickly, sinking on his wheels as Sam shot the console a bright grin and skipped out the yellow Camaro, meeting halfway with his girlfriend with a kiss and a hug. Gosh, hugging a girl that wasn't his mom feels awesome!

And then that strange darkness struck again…

The cherry red cartoonish shining from within Mikaela's chest attracted his eyes quicker than her breasts did – _and_ _that's an understatement -_ she noticed his looks, of course she did, and gave him a smirk and a saucy wink for it. "You like what you see?" She quipped, kissing his jaw before leaving him blinking dazedly on the sidewalk as she skipped to Bee's passenger door. "Hey there, Bee!" They dissolved into conversation; it snapped Sam out of his love-struck funk enough that he barely tripped on his way to the car as well.

Determination mingled with a little bit of Perseverance… his girlfriend's soul was also bright, more saturated than his mom's and definitely pretty. There was a single crack, shallow enough not to worry him but still make him wonder if she's hiding more pain than she's shown him.

* Mikaela – The Dutiful Daughter and the Loving Girlfriend – ATK 0 (8) DEF 1 (15) BASE LV 1 HP 36 EXP 1 * Your girlfriend, aren't you lucky you scored so high? She likes you and the thrill and thinks you're cute, sees a future with you.

WEAPON Backpack – literally packs a punch. ARMOR Heeled boots – Best to toe the line of caution.

"I am _really_ not looking forward to Mrs. H class today… we were supposed to have a test about these chapters in this book I've never read and it will suck when I get my report card" Mikaela filled Bee's interior with inane school chatter, making the corners of Sam's lips lift up with the fondness swelling his chest. After the hell they have been through before, he isn't the only one chasing normality for a change.

"What book?" Bee asked interestedly. All bots seemed interested in human culture on their own way, but Bumblebee's friendship with both Sam and Mikaela made him pay particular attention to their interest – _to better protect you, I have to understand you –_ Optimus explained during one of their talks. The big bot was still as busy as ever with the involvement of the government and human politics, but still made time to chat with Sam at least twice since the week they have been apart.

And in that tone, they arrived in school.

As soon as they escaped the yellow Camaro, someone whom Sam owned an explanation came rushing in his direction. Miles. Guilt throbbed in his gut but Sam pushed it down… it was already _bad enough_ that he dragged Mikaela into this mess, he didn't need another innocent bystander having their lives turned upside down.

Just as Miles got close enough to fist bump him – the darkness edged his vision in that now familiar way, and Sam's eyes were pulled toward the small blue heart now framed inside his best friend's chest – light and dark blue. Patience and Integrity, with the light color dominating the darker one, swirling around the heart in a stripe pattern. The color saturation was high and the light bright enough to give Sam pause. Miles' soul was brighter than his mom's and Mikaela's.

* Miles – He isn't a struggling teenage boy, but he always seems to find himself in a pinch as your best friend – ATK 0 (4) DEF 0 (12) BASE LV 1 HP 90 EXP 1 * your best friend, though you have neglected him for a while now, he still is the most hopeful person you know.

WEAPON Homework – Due today. ARMOR Flannel shirt – The best kind of shirt.

It took a while for Sam to truly grasp the importance of Mile's large amount of HP, and when it did, he was even gladder that he hasn't exposed his friend to the type of danger he shared with Mikaela… He never wanted Mile's hopes to plummet so much…

Most _humans_ at school had HP that varied between 60 and 100 – the exception were those with the most cracks in their heart.

Sam also never wanted to learn _so much_ about his classmates… there are some things best left alone.

…

"Hey Bee... I think I'm going mad"

 **You are not going "mad".**

 _Shut up!_

* Bumblebee – Dedicated but Stubborn Autobot Warrior – ATK 1 (512) DEF 1 (495) BASE LV 512 HP 999 EXP 154896 * This being is meant for greater things but is currently stuck babysitting you, it helps a little that he actually thinks of you as a friend.

 _ **WRONG WRONG WRONG!**_

The contents of his stomach met the pavement, and Sam found himself succumbing to the darkness and into Gaster's waiting hands…

…

Sam felt the arms around him, and allowed his body to fall bonelessly into the chest of those arms' owner. Gaster. A distant part of his mind not occupied by the break down supplied, Gaster as in the monster living in his head… the one who doesn't have a body?

But Gaster appeared to have a body _here_ , and it was pretty useful when Sam sagged against him, choking on half formed sobs and a cry lodged in his throat. The horror coursing through his body clogging his air ways in such a way that it made breathing difficult, and he could feel the pulse of his heart unnaturally high.

Two pair of hands cupped Sam's shoulders, and then another pair of hands made themselves busy patting his hair and forehead… and then another pair found themselves running up and down Sam's back… If Sam wasn't so far gone, he'd have freaked out about the floating, disembodied hands, alas, he was too busy holding back the urge to retch again to care – the burn in his throat was bad enough.

"OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!" Sam cried, clinging to Gaster. The lime green cartoonish heart representing his soul was dimmed in shock, the hairline fractures deepening until they became cracks – an arch of lightening pulsed out like a tendril of power, not sinking down into the soul again… soon another arch joined the first and they kept building up until the entire heart was covered in panicked energy.

Gaster's upside down white soul pulsed alongside his, still skewered and lopsided, but apparently sturdier than in the dream – he was already healing? – the Perseverance purple of Gaster's magic cupped Sam, sharing comfort and love just as the monster's weird language reached him " **Sam, calm down…"**

But Sam didn't _want_ to calm down, not _now_ … he had to… had to… "Did you see _that_? I – I can't even-" Purple started to chip away at the electricity barrier, seemingly communicating with it until it started to recede.

" **I see the same things you do, and I know Bumblebee's LV is staggeringly worrisome, but you have to calm down now"** Gaster said, continuing his efforts until his upside down soul could slide securely to Sam's again and latch on like before Sam's break down – arcs of energy still lanced through the teenager's core, but it wouldn't _hurt_ Gaster – this _not_ quite sentience _liked_ Gaster for some reason.

"I can't, I can't, I can't… I can't breathe and think and- Why so _high_? What has he been through?! Are the others so high as well?! Why can't I breathe?!"

" **Breathe with me… one two three… again… like that… you are having a panic attack, focus on the pulse of our souls… one two three… Sam… baby bones… yes, one after the other, just like that, you're doing good… one two three"** The monster coached Sam into breathing again, until he felt the human's heart rate return to normal.

"G-gaster… what?"

" **You had a panic attack… don't dwell too much on it for now, just give yourself a moment to catch your breath again** " The three pair of hands made themselves known again as they left Sam's body to hover in front of a pale, cracked, mask like face " **Have you calmed down enough?** "

"I think so" Sam nodded, using the back of his own hands to massage his aching eyes "What happened?" He groaned, already feeling the encroaching headache… and then his eyes popped open as a strange realization hit him… "No, I mean, whoah! You're a-"

The being in front of him was anthropomorphic – at least eight feet tall. They had made proportions, so Sam decided Gaster was a _he_ – thin, lithe limbs covered by a black lab coat on top of a white turtleneck shirt. Whatever Sam could see of Gaster's face looked like porcelain, thus assuming it was a mask, but there were movements in the expressions being shown, a tilt of the lips or canting of eyes, making those cracks look all the more painful.

Was that a skull?

Amusement bled out of Gaster, making Sam narrow his eyes.

" **Monster? And before you ask, this is a type of meta-plane where our conjoined consciences converge – since tethering myself to you I have been inhabiting this space, and since this is purely in our head I can have a body** " Gaster explained, most certainly dumbing things down for Sam's benefit " **Once I have regained enough of my magic to safely exist without the aid of your soul, I should be whole enough to form my own body in the outside plane** "

Sam was still wondering about that… but first… "... have I said that this looks way creepier than it is?"

The monster chuckled, the sound coming from his chest rather than the gash on his face functioning as lips, though they twitched and stretched into a fond little smile, not disturbed at all by Sam's suspicion. " **You may have, yes** "

Alright then… Another thing that caught his attention then "Baby bones?"

" **Skeleton's term of endearment for children** "

The amusement tripled "You know what, I'm not even going to argue!" Sam snapped, sighing a little before sagging on himself as the memories he's been trying to distract himself from came back "Hey Gast… do- do you _know_ why Bumblebee's LV is so… so high?"

" **As a matter of fact, yes I do… As I stated previously, we both have been through the Void between realities – when you... I hesitate to call it death… when your soul moved to this other plane, it was following after a great amount of energy, great enough to light up half the Void for a single second – it called to me and I followed this energy's trace until I found you - you still carry a piece of that energy within you, and I have been able to… exchange ideas and knowledge with it since its very similar to magic** "

"Wait – so I have a third hitchhiker?! What the hell man?!"

" **No, not a full being, it is part magic and part knowledge, and it has taken your soul as a host for the mean time… and since my soul depends on yours, I also have access to these benefits** " Yeah, a magical parasitic skeleton… he felt kind of pregnant for a demented second before forcefully shaking his head to dislodge this thought… it is _great_ news to hear that he wouldn't be entertaining a third voice in his head " **I do believe that it is what remains of the allspark** " And then the other shoe dropped.

"Great! Brilliant! So I'm doomed either way! I just want my normal life back, is that too much to ask for?" Sam could feel his chest start to tighten up again… Was this depression? He felt anxious and scared, and wanted nothing more than to burrow under his covers with a handheld videogame console to distract his head with.

Reading this sentiment, Gaster raised his _real_ pair of hands – what's with the huge number of floating limbs?! – and hesitantly patted the boy's head, carting his porcelain like fingers though Sam's hair " **You have been touched by fate, baby bones, and for what it's worth, I am sorry about my part in your grief** "

Sam batted the questing hand away, shooting Gaster an unimpressed look "Yeah… gaining RPG vision and the ability to 'check' everyone around me and read their soul was _great_ " the sarcasm dripping from his voice made the monster _cringe_. He did look sorry, if the sad cant of his lips, eyes and head were anything to judge by.

" **I really am sorry… this power is most inherent to magic users, it is more of a universal language since there are some monsters who do not have the capacity for speech. Human mages also used this perk to communicate with one another when deriving from different kingdoms or tribes… there are also a couple of gifted people who can passively use 'check', as it is called, and they come off as empathic or intuitive… your tall, metallic friends also have a similar skill, though not as powerful as to read an actual soul, and they are constantly using it** "

Way to put things under perspective.

"Their scans? Oh man… Hey Gast, I'm not mad at you, I did agree to help you, didn't I? But everything that has happened… it _is_ a bit much… everything I thought I knew has been obliterated and I am becoming someone I don't know… I'm scared of loud noises, domestic appliances give me the heebies, I'm lying to my best friend and almost got my family killed…"

" **It wasn't your fault, Sam… you were unlucky enough that this misfortune fell upon you, you made the best with it, baby bones, I am proud of you"** Lemons, lemonade? Was that what Gaster wanted to tell him? The monster relaxed, before stiffening again. " **I still own you an explanation for Bumblebee-"**

"Yeahno… I think I understand… they… the cybertronians… they have been at war for a _really_ long time… and I guess even someone like Bee would have had to- to _kill_ someone else… even after watching him fight Barricade, after seeing all the destruction the battle caused Mission City – Gods, imagining the casualties! – it never… dawned on me just what it _meant_ , you know? I was too worried about my own life, I guess, excited about all the adventures… but the Autobots had to go through _hell_ and _back_ to get here, right? I can't judge them based on my human sensitivities nor your unlikely monster morals… neither of us can, really"

Sam could tell Gaster was mulling on his words, and got the sense of _pride_ along a very reluctant agreement not to freak out at the bots' LV again – Sam had to promise the same thing himself, though it would be hard not to twitch at least a bit. And then another thing came to mind, something that made the nerd side of him positively vibrate – life, lemons? He wanted that lemonade with ice, please. "Did you just say something about _magic?_ "

…


End file.
